The Hobbit: Bonds that can't be Broken
by MayDayReject
Summary: The Hobbit: Bonds that can't be broken is the sequel to The Hobbit: Anywhere for You. Solaris, the elven princess, the Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf continue their mission to the lonely mountain.
1. Love isn't just for Lovers

**Hey, welcome to part two of my Hobbit story. If you've not read it then I suggest you read my first Hobbit story The Hobbit: Anywhere for You before you read this. Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.**

**So I've added in a few extras since first writing this chapter. The scene that first introduces Beorn to the company where they come out the house was in the book and also a deleted scene from the film which I really think they should have kept. So I've added it into my story to make me feel better about it :P**

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><p>"We are still being hunted" Solaris said, she could hear and smell the Wargs and Orcs in the air.<p>

"Bilbo" Gandalf said "Go and search"

The hobbit nodded and disappeared into the trees.

"What was the Orc saying to you?" Kili asked Solaris as they sat waiting for orders.

"I can't really remember Kili" Solaris said frowning "What does it matter anyway?" she asked.

"He might have said something important" he said shrugging and walking away.

Thorin then came over and put a finger under Solaris's chin, he studied the cut on her cheek. "It's healing already" he said.

"Elves heal faster than most" she said "That's why if I ever break anything or dislocate something you need to get it back into the right place for me as quick as possible"

"Will do" he said smiling and lowering his hand. "I am sorry that I struck you, I will regret that for as long as I live"

Solaris gave him a gentle smile and he then went over to Dwalin.

Fili had noticed how his brother was watching Thorin and Solaris. "I don't think she feels anything other than friendship towards him Kili" he said.

"It doesn't look that way to me" Kili said carving some new arrows.

Bilbo than came rushing back which took all their attention.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked.

"Too close, a couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it"

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent" Dwalin asked.

"Not yet. But they will do. We have another problem"

"Did they see you, they saw you?" Gandalf asked.

"No that's not it"

"What did I tell you, quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material" Gandalf said.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Will you listen, will you just listen. I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there" Bilbo said.

"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked. "Like a bear?"

"Yes, yes, but bigger much bigger"

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked. "I say we double back"

"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin asked.

"There is a house" Gandalf said looking into the trees "It's not far from here where we might take refuge"

"Who's house?" Thorin asked. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither, he will help us or he will kill us" Gandalf said.

"Sounds like our kind of place" Solaris sighed.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked.

Above them the sound of a bear roared. "None" Gandalf replied.

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><p>Again they found themselves running for their lives. They went through a field that was full of purple flowers and then through a forest again. When they were in the forest the sound of the bear roared again.<p>

"This way, come on" Gandalf said.

"Run" Thorin shouted.

"Solaris run ahead and get the door open" Gandalf said and the young she-elf raced off at full speed. Being a nimble elf she got to the house while the dwarves and Gandalf were mere dots in the distance. She stopped at the gate and looked around first before going through and pushing the large steel latch upwards. She had to put all her weight against the door to open it. Once it was open she had a quick look around to make sure no one was home. Then she stood by the door and watched as the dwarves came one by one.

"Welcome to my humble abode" she said and then leapt at the door as a massive bear stuck his nose in. Together they all pushed and Dwalin put the wooden slat across.

"What is that?" Ori asked.

"That is our host" Gandalf said and everyone looked at him shocked. "His name is Beorn and he's a skin changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable but the man can be reasoned with, however he is not over fond of dwarves"

"He's leaving" Ori said leaning against the door.

"Come away from there" Dori said. "It's not natural, none of it. Its obvious, he's under some dark spell"

"Don't be a fool; he is under no enchantment but his own. All right now, get some sleep all of you" Gandalf ordered. "You'll be safe here tonight, I hope"

Solaris whipped her head around after having heard whinnying "Horses!" she exclaimed happily.

"Don't go venturing outside till I say" Gandalf warned. "Make do with the cows to pat"

Solaris walked over to one of the Highland Cattle. They had thick coats and wet noses that tickled when they nuzzled her.

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><p>They all set to making comfy beds out of straw and none needed Solaris's singing to send them to sleep that night. Solaris had curled up into a tight ball when one of the dwarves rested down right next to her. Kili's eyes shone brightly as he smiled at her.<p>

"Hey" he whispered.

"Hey" she whispered back.

"How are your wounds?"

"I am healed now" she smiled. "How are you?"

"I am fine" he nodded.

There was silence for a bit and Solaris's eyes were just closing when Kili spoke again.

"Do you love my uncle" he asked bluntly.

Her eyes shot open and looked at him "That's what the orc asked you when you were protecting Thorin, do you love him he asked" Kili said. "I didn't hear you reply"

"That's because I didn't" she said.

"Do you, do you love him?" he asked. "I need to know Laris"

"Kili, I do not understand why it matters"

"It matters because I have feelings for you Laris and I need to know, I need to know if you have feelings for me" he said, all humour and lightness gone from his voice.

"Kili…" she whispered but he leant forward and pressed his lips to hers.

"Stop" she said pulling backwards.

"Laris, I am sorry" he said.

She smiled at him weakly and reached a hand forward and brushed some of his hair back behind his ear.

"You will always be special to me Kili" she whispered "As the first dwarf to show me kindness you will always have a special place in my heart, as will all of you"

He sighed heavily and pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. "Let me hold you tonight" he whispered and Solaris sighed and rested her head under his chin.

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><p>Solaris woke early the following morning. She was hot and restless from being enveloped in Kili's tight embrace for the whole night. She had no trouble slipping away from him as he continued to snore gently. Standing and straightening her clothes Solaris looked around, everyone else was still asleep. Most of the dwarves were scattered around in the straw and Thorin was the only one to have made his bed in a sitting up position in the corner of the room, even Gandalf seemed to be fast asleep.<p>

Stepping over each body gently Solaris made her way over to the door. She looked up at the heavy wooden slat dismally. There was no way she'd be able to open it without waking anyone, especially Gandalf and Thorin who were likely only dozing. Instead she headed over to the window which had a much smaller catch, with a delicate leap Solaris was up and out.

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><p>The fresh morning air was delicious as Solaris stretched and let the wind wash her. She looked around and saw in a field below her a herd of stunning black and white ponies. They had long flowing manes, tails and feathers and their white patches made her eyes squint. "Wow" she whispered and was about the head for them when a grunt caught her attention. She slowly reached for her dagger at her hip.<p>

"There will be no need for that" a deep voice said. Slowly she turned around to see a very tall, broad, topless man. Her eyes scanned him and took in every detail. The fact that he was very hairy was the first thing Solaris noticed, not only did he have a very thick head of hair but the hair also trailed down his back. He had very bushy eyebrows and a beard; he also had scars here and there on his body. Solaris was in no confusion about who he was.

"You must be Beorn" she said taking her hand away from the dagger and holding it out in-front of her. "My name is Solaris"

"What is an elf doing here?" Beorn asked gruffly. He didn't take her hand so with a little cough Solaris lowered it.

"I took shelter in your house" she said motioning behind her.

"I know" Beorn said "But what are you doing here?"

Solaris knew that she couldn't say much without Gandalf. "There is an orc pack hanging around" Beorn said "I take it that they are something to do with you"

"Yes" she nodded "They are hunting me"

"I dislike orcs" Beorn said "More than I dislike elves" Solaris smiled awkwardly. Beorn walked over to a log and picked up an axe. "Sit and tell me about yourself" he said pointing to a little wooden table. Solaris walked over gingerly and hoisted herself up. She drew one knee up to her chest and left the other leg hanging. She watched Beorn chop wood and the more she told him about herself and where she was from he seemed to relax and become more at ease with her. She then started to question him about his animals and that was when he totally became at ease. He even laughed as he told her a story about one of his mischievous rats. He offered her a piece of honeycomb which Solaris took and nibbled at slowly. They had honey in Rivendell but the honey from Beorn's bees was far better. Beorn was smiling and in the middle of another of his stories when the front door to his house opened and Gandalf and Bilbo came out. Solaris watched as the pair approached them. At first she was not seen but as soon as Gandalf saw her his face become one of shock.

"Hey" she said waving with one hand and holding the honeycomb with the other.

"Solaris are these your friends?" Beorn asked.

"Yes, this is Gandalf the Grey" Solaris said.

"Never heard of him" Beorn said leaning on his axe.

"I am a wizard" Gandalf said "Perhaps you've heard of my colleague Radagast the Brown? He resides in the southern boarders of Mirkwood"

"What do you want?" Beorn asked.

"Well simply to thank you for your hospitality, you may have noticed that we took refuse in your lodgings here last night"

"Already done that" Solaris said quietly looking at Gandalf from under her eyes lashes. He glared at her and she continued to chew on the honeycomb.

"Who is this little fellow?" Beorn asked as he spotted Bilbo.

"Ah well this would be Mr. Baggins from The Shire"

Beorn picked up his axe. "He's not a dwarf is he?"

"Why no, no he's a hobbit. Good family and unbeatable reputation" Gandalf said patting Bilbo on the back.

"A halfling and a wizard, how come you here? I have already asked Miss Solaris but she has done an excellent job of avoiding the question" Beorn said glancing at Solaris.

"The fact of it is we've had a bad time of it" Gandalf butted in "From goblins in the mountains"

"What did you go near goblins for, stupid thing to do" Beorn said.

"You are absolutely right" Gandalf said.

"From speaking to you I would have thought you'd of had more sense" Beorn said to Solaris.

"We didn't do it on purpose" Solaris said.

Then from the house came Dwalin and Balin. Beorn picked up his axe and watched wide eyed. "Dwalin and Balin" Dwalin said introducing themselves.

"I must confess that several of our group are in fact, dwarves" Gandalf said.

"Do you call two, several?" Beorn asked.

"Yes, well now you put it that way there could be more than two" Gandalf said. As if on cue Oin and Gloin came out. "Oh and here are some more of our happy troop" Gandalf said.

"And do you call six a troop?" Beorn asked.

"He's very clever isn't he?" Solaris smiled.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Gandalf asked irritably.

"Yes much so" Solaris laughed.

"What are you, a travelling circus?" Beorn asked his voice raising. Dori and Ori were the next pair out.

"Dori and Ori at your service" Dori said bowing.

"I don't want your service" Beorn said.

"Absolutely understandable" Gandalf said. "Oh Fili and Kili" he said as the brothers came out. Both their eyes landed immediately on Solaris who looked away with a smile on her face. From having spent time with Beorn she knew he wasn't going to harm them but it was funny to watch Gandalf squirm and to see the shocked look on the dwarves faces to see her already sitting there.

"And here's Nori, Bifur, Bofur and Bomber" Gandalf said.

"Is that it?" Beorn asked.

"Nope" Solaris replied and with perfect timing Thorin stepped out.

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><p>"How do you do it?" Kili said leaning right over to Solaris as they walked back into the house.<p>

"Do what?" she asked.

"Make everybody love you" he said.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean" she smirked.

"Come here and get of your high horse" Kili said jumping up and looping an arm around her neck. He then pulled her down to the floor and started to tickle her.

"Behave" Gandalf warned as he walked passed. They both got up and followed every one to the kitchen. They sat down and Solaris couldn't help but laugh at the size of the plate and tankard compared to Kili.

"What?" he asked.

"It's almost bigger than you" she giggled.

"Shut up" Kili smiled pushing her a little too roughly that she almost fell from the stool had he not caught her arm.

"Doesn't the dwarf know that pushing a lady is rude" Beorn bellowed. Kili visibly shrunk in size and Solaris giggled.

"May I offer my lady elf some milk?" he asked and poured some into a tankard in-front of her.

"Thank you" she nodded and took a tentative sip, it was fresh cow's milk and had a very creamy after taste. "You okay down there?" she asked peering at Kili.

"I'm fine" he said sitting up.

"Need a cushion?" she asked and he punched her arm.

"Stop it" Thorin scolded from behind them.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield" Beorn said now talking to Thorin. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog, how?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains before the orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work you understand, for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked.

"Once there were many"

"And now?"

"Now there is only one, you need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn"  
>"Before Durin's day falls yes" Gandalf said.<p>

"You are running out of time" Beorn said.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood" Gandalf said.

"Mirkwood" Solaris repeated. "Legolas's homeland?"

"Yes" nodded Gandalf.

"A darkness lies upon that forest, fell things creep between those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need" Beorn said.

"We will take the Elven Road. Their path is still safe" Gandalf said and Solaris sensed Thorin moving behind her. Her hand clenched and Fili took it gently. He gave her a soft look and she took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Good girl" he whispered and took a chug of his milk.

"Safe" Beorn continued "The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin, not like Lady Solaris" Beorn said nodding to Solaris. "They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not"

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked.

"These lands are crawling with orcs. Their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive" Beorn stood, his head almost hitting a beam. "I don't like dwarves" he said walking towards Thorin. "Their greedy and blind. Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own" he said picking up a tiny white mouse of the table. Solaris held her breath. "But orcs I hate more, what do you need?"

"Horses" Thorin answered.

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><p><strong>What do you guys think of the first chapter? <strong>

**Love Mayday xx**


	2. Within you

**I've added a few extra bits since I orignally posted this. The new scene starts after the fourth underline, if you've not read this chapter before then obviously start from the top. Thanks :P x**

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><p>Solaris couldn't stop stroking the neck of her pony. He was truly stunning. He was a black and white piebald with a long flowing mane and tail. She got into his saddle gently and urged him forward with the slightest touch of her heels to see how he moved. Her and Gandalf's ponies were slightly bigger then than the others but only by a hand.<p>

"Go now while you have the light" Beorn had told them. "Your hunters are not far behind"

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><p>Solaris and Gandalf led the company as they galloped the ponies on, Gandalf because he knew the way but Solaris because she always strived to go faster. They reached the edge of Mirkwood before darkness had fallen. They came to a stop and Nori took the pony's reins from Solaris as she walked forward.<p>

"What has happened to the forest?" she asked Gandalf. The once beautiful white trees had gone grey and were smothered with some kind of ivy.

"The Elven Gate" he mumbled to himself. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood"

"No sign of the orcs, we have luck on our side" Dwalin said.

Solaris's stomach tied itself in knots, she knew something wasn't right.

"Set the ponies loose" Gandalf said "Let them return to their master"

"This forest feels, sick. As if a disease lies upon it" Bilbo said.

"Mr. Baggins is right Gandalf" Solaris said "Something's wrong"

"Not you of all people Solaris" Gandalf said.

"Is there no way around?" Bilbo asked.

"Not unless we go 200 miles north, or twice that distance south" Gandalf said walking further into the forest. Solaris followed cautiously, her hand brushed along the branches as she walked. In Rivendell she would have felt life and hear the trees talking to one another but here there was no sound, everything was dead. Gandalf suddenly strode past her.

"Not my horse!" he shouted "I need it"

"You're not leaving us" Bilbo said.

"I would not do this unless I had to" Gandalf said looking down at the small hobbit. "You've changed Bilbo Baggins. You are not the same hobbit as the one who left the Shire"

"I was going to tell you" Bilbo said "I, I found something in the goblin tunnels"

"Found what, what did you find?" Gandalf asked.

"My courage"

"Good, well that's good. You'll need it" Gandalf said.

The rains started to come down. Solaris sighed as she watched Gandalf climb up onto his horse.

"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter the mountain without me" he spoke more to Thorin. "Solaris" he called and the elf walked over to the horse's side.

"Do not send us into that forest" she said twiddling some of the horse's mane around her finger.

"It is the only way you'll reach the mountain in time" Gandalf said.

"You know the way through Mirkwood, take them by the safest path and you will be fine" he said.

"Gandalf" she said walking to the other side of the horse so that the dwarves would not hear her.

"If Thranduil does not want us to pass then he will not let us. He probably already knows we are here"

"It is a risk that must be taken" Gandalf said. "Keep them safe"

"I will try" Solaris said patting the horse's neck.

"Very good" Gandalf said. "You are to follow Solaris's instruction" he said now talking to the dwarves. With that said he turned his horse and galloped away in the direction they'd come.

"We need to get to the mountain" Thorin said turning to Solaris. "We will follow you through this evil forest"

"Alright, okay" she said nervously and walked do the gate. "Let's go"

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><p>"The path turns this way" Thorin said kicking at some leaves on the floor.<p>

"No, it's this way" Solaris said. Thorin looked at her with steely eyes. "I think I know this forest better than you" she added.

Reluctantly Thorin followed.

They continued walking for what seemed like hours. On a sharp bend Dwalin hit the floor with the end of his axe.

"This way" he said and Solaris nodded slowly. She wasn't going to say anything but she was getting unsure as to where she was.

After a while longer the dwarves started to complain about the closeness of the air.

"Wait stop" Solaris said.

"What is it?" Thorin asked gruffly.

"This is wrong" she sighed looking around. "It's all wrong"

"What do you mean it's all wrong?" Thorin asked his voice raising.

"We've taken a wrong turn" she said walking back down the company. She took care not to look at any of them.

"Solaris" Thorin said, she could hear his heavy footsteps following her.

She put the end of her finger into her mouth and chewed a nail nervously. Her eyes darted around searching for something vaguely familiar. She could see Thorin out the corner of her eye looking at her.

"We've lost the path" he said to the others "Split up and search for it. But don't go out of sight"

Solaris stood still as they all walked in different directions. "Never mind Lassie" Balin said "It was an impossible path to follow"

"I have failed you" she said looking down at the dwarf. "Thorin hates me again"

"He could never hate you" Balin said "He cares too much for you"

Before she could ask him anymore he walked off in search of the path.

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><p>After a while they re-grouped and started to walk on a path that looked familiar. As they walked Solaris observed that Bilbo and the dwarves were starting to sway slightly. She knew the enchantments that lay on the forest.<p>

"Stay with it" she called to them all.

Ori suddenly stopped and picked up a pouch. "Look" he said.

"A tobacco pouch" Dori said taking it from him "There are dwarves in these woods"

"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains no less, this is exactly the same as mine" Bofur said looking at the pouch.

"That's because it is yours. Do you understand? We're going round in circles. We are lost" Bilbo said.

"We are not lost, we'll keep heading east" Thorin said.

"But which way is east, we've lost the sun" Oin said.

"I thought you were the expert" Dwalin said to Solaris.

"I haven't been in this forest since I was a child and it is very different. Gandalf was

wrong to put your trust in me" she snapped.

"We need to get above the canopy" Bilbo said and Solaris was the only one to hear him as the dwarves started to fight amongst themselves.

"I'll go" she said.

"Nope, it's alright" Bilbo said looking at the dwarves "I'll go"

They both looked from the dwarves to each other and then jumped into the trees. They raced each other to the top and Solaris won just because she was that bit taller.

Once at the top it felt like they could breathe again and sun was warm on their faces. Blue butterflies scattered around them and Solaris could hear Bilbo chucking.

"Look for the mountain" she called to him to get him back on track.

"I can see a lake and a river!" Bilbo exclaimed "Look Laris, the Lonely Mountain"

Solaris's heart jumped into her throat. "Remember the way Bilbo" she said and disappeared back into the trees. Her sudden scream nearly made Bilbo fall.

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><p>As Solaris had been making her way back down to the dwarves she heard branches snapping. She spun around and was met face to face with a massive, black spider. She screamed and the branch she was balancing on disappeared from beneath her.<p>

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><p>Solaris had expected to wake with a broken back at the least but when her eyes opened and she sat up she was shocked to feel no broken bones. Once she had gathered her thoughts she looked around and got to her feet slowly. She'd somehow gone from falling from the trees in the Mirkwood forest to be on a stone floor in a large room. Solaris stared up at the ceiling and made out what looked like hundreds of series of stairs. They all seemed to twist in various different directions up until she could only faintly see them. She then looked down and realised she was on a ledge overlooking more stairs that also went in hundreds of different directions.<p>

"Hello?" she called out but the only thing she heard was her own voice echoing back to her. "Bilbo, Thorin, guys!" she called but she could only hear herself.

Confused Solaris made her way down some stairs only to come out higher than where she was before. "What is this?" she asked to herself and chose to go up a different staircase. After a while of doing this Solaris suddenly stopped, she could hear voices. Spinning around she could see the company standing on large ledge below her.

"Hey, guys!" she called but they didn't respond to her. "Wait for me!"

Thinking she was heading down Solaris endeavored to get close to them but the nearer she seemed to get the further away she actually was. She came to a stop to catch her breath.

"Tired?" a velvet smooth voice asked. On the ledge ahead of her a very tall, pristine looking elf appeared. He had long blonde hair, a long robe that swept the floor and a crown on his head.

"Who are you?" Solaris asked.

"You do not recognize me child?" the elf said "I find that hurtful"

Solaris squinted at him and then it clicked "Thranduil, Legolas's Father?" she asked and the elf put his hands together.

"She's got it" he said in a very patronising voice.

"Please My Lord" Solaris said "I'm lost, I can see my friends but I can't get to them. These stairs, their enchanted"

"This is a labyrinth Solaris" Thranduil said. "There is no getting anywhere, not till I permit it"

Solaris frowned "I don't understand" she said.

"You were always the dimmest of Elrond's brood" Thranduil as he backed down some stairs "I have your friends in my cells" he said appearing behind her.

"Let them go" Solaris said.

"No" Thranduil said simply "Not till I talk to the leader"

"He won't tell you anything"

"Oh he will" Thranduil smirked. He moved without a sound right up behind Solaris. She froze and watched him out the corner of her eye. "If I tell him I have his pet he will tell me whatever I want"

Putting her hand on her blade slowly Solaris turned her head slightly "What do you want from us?"

"Only what is mine" Thranduil said. He brought his face next to her head. "You have grown into a fine young woman, if lacking a few brain cells" he smirked.

Solaris turned suddenly and pushed her blade backwards only to find nothing but air.

"Nice try" Thranduil said appearing on the opposite ledge again. "Legolas will be ever so pleased to see you"

"He won't be pleased to know what his father is doing" Solaris said.

"On the contrary, he hates dwarves as much as I do" Thranduil scoffed "He's putting them into cells right now"

"But?" Solaris said looking down at the large ledge below her to see nothing.

"Everything here is an illusion sweet Solaris" Thranduil said.

Feeling panic for her friends Solaris turned and ran down another flight of stairs leaving Thranduil behind.

_"How you turned my world you precious thing, you strave and near exhaust me. Everything I've done I've done for you"_ singing filled the air. Solaris did her best to ignore it as she chose stairs to run up and down. "You haven't done anything for me!" she yelled as she started up another stair case.

_"You've run so long you've run so far. Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel. Though I do believe in you, yes I do"_ Solaris came to a stop and looked around desperately. Now that she could see nothing but stairs she didn't even have anything to aim for.

_"Live without the sunlight, love without your heartbeat, I, I can't live within you. I can't live within you"_ Stopping at another ledge Solaris looked down to see Thorin and Thranduil talking "Thorin!" she called but he didn't respond to her. She bit her bottom lip and sighed. Her eyes glanced at the edge of the ledge and her mind was in turmoil. "What if you're not real" she said to herself.

_"I can't live within you"_ taking a deep breath as the singing faded Solaris walked back from the ledge. "Oh please don't die" she said to herself and then ran for the edge.

* * *

><p>She landed on her back and coughed herself into a sitting position. She then looked up and saw that the ceiling had returned to normal and that there were no more stairs. "Solaris?" a voice asked and she looked up to see none other than Legolas looking down at her. "What are you doing here?"<p>

"Your Father is crazy" Solaris panted.

Legolas stepped forward and put a hand under her arm to help her up. "You're not with the dwarves are you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh if I say no does that mean you'll let me go?" she said and Legolas sighed.

"Come with me" he said.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>

**So I've added extra into this since I first wrote it. Some of you will recognize that the song I used was 'Within you' from Labyrinth and I got the stair idea from Labyrinth as well. I thought that it was a nice twist so I put it in there. **

**Love Mayday xx**


	3. Broken Bones

Thorin was already standing before the Elven King. Solaris was placed next to him with and the bonds around her wrists undone.

"Are you alright?" Thorin whispered.

"Yes, are you?" she asked.

"Solaris" Thranduil, the Elven King and Legolas's father said "Does your father know where you are?"

"He knows that I am with the dwarves My Lord" she replied and he nodded.

"Some may imagine that a noble quest was at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself suspect and more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary or something of that ilk. You have found a way in" he said studying Thorin. "You seek which that would bestow you the right to rule. The King's Jewel. The Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I offer you my help"

Solaris watched Thorin carefully, Thranduil could not be trusted. "I am listening" Thorin said and as much as Solaris wanted to say no she remained silent.

"I will let you go if you but return what is mine"

"A favour for a favour" Thorin said walking a little.

"You have my word, one king to another"

"I would not trust Thranduil, the great king to honour his word should the end of all days be upon us. You, who lack all honour!" Thorin shouted as he turned to face the King.

"I have seen how you treat your friends. We came to you once starving, homeless, seeking your help but you turned your back. You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us!" he then shouted something in Dwarfish that Solaris did not understand. Thranduil swept down.

"Do not talk to me of dragon fire; I know its wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the north"

Thunder sounded from overhead and Solaris watched as half of Thranduil's face melted away to the muscle underneath, his eye also went creamy white. As soon as his face had distorted he was back to normal again. He pulled back and watched Thorin closely.

"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon. But he would not listen. You are just like him"

Thranduil was now walking up the stairs to his throne. "Stay here if you will" he said gesturing and guards grabbed Thorin. "And rot, a 100 years is a mere blink in the life of an el. I'm patient, I can wait"

"No!" Solaris exclaimed. She wasn't sure what spell it was but she cast a green orb from her hands and it hit Thranduil in the face. She then did the same to the guards but it sucked the life out of her and she dropped to a knee. Behind her Thranduil laughed.

"Magic, you dare use your magic on me?" he asked coming down from his throne. "Tell me dear, is your Father teaching you. Because he is the only elf other than me who I know can play with magic. He must be very disappointed in you"

"My Father is proud of me" Solaris said trying to stand but her knees gave way.

"You are weak Laris, you always have been. Elrond is weak. I on the other hand am strong, my son is strong and my ward Tauriel is strong. I am glad she did not turn out like you"

His words stung her deeply. "I was going to offer you chambers, a shower, a change of clothes and food but I now see you'd rather go to the cells with your disgusting dwarf friends"

Solaris shouted and sent another green orb at him but he caught it and absorbed the power. The guards rushed forward to grab her but Thranduil waved them away.

"No" he said "If she wants a battle of magic, a battle of magic she shall get"

* * *

><p>Solaris deliberately used smaller spells so that she could save energy but Thranduil on the other hand used powerful spells that she had never even seen before. Some of them had been so powerful that she was sure if they'd hit her she'd be dead.<p>

"This is fun is it not?" Thranduil smiled as he sent another spell at her and she dodged out the way.

"Father?" a voice boomed and Thranduil dropped his guard for a second. That second was all she needed to hit him in the back.

"Enough!" Thranduil shouted and Solaris flew backwards and her body cracked against the wall and she cried out.

"Father" Legolas repeated and rushed to Solaris's side. "What are you doing?"

Thranduil adjusted his crown and looked down at Solaris with unmoving eyes. "I was teaching Solaris about magic; it seems that Lord Elrond hasn't been doing a very good job"

"You've broken her" Legolas said.

"She will heal" Thranduil said.

"She needs proper healers" Legolas said.

"Oh please stop caring Legolas, its just pathetic" Thranduil laughed. "Take her to a cell"

"All the cells are full My Lord" a guard said stepping forward.

"Then stick her in with one of the dwarves, but not with the leader" he said. "I'm sure your Father will come to you in a year or two when he realises you're missing"

Solaris's body was limp as the guard and Legolas pulled her from the floor. She then suddenly came back to life and elbowed the guard in the face. His nose cracked and she then kicked Legolas has hard as she could in the groin. He gasped and dropped to his knees. Solaris glanced at Thranduil who watched her wide eyed. She gave him a little salute and jumped from the platform they were standing on.

"After her!" Thranduil shouted.

* * *

><p>Solaris had no idea where she was running to. She hadn't been to this part of the Mirkwood palace before and all the pathways and walls looked the same. An arrow came flying and missed her head by a foot.<p>

"Whoa" she said dodging and jumping to another level.

She eventually lost the guards and came to a stop hidden behind some barrels. She crouched for a minute or two to catch her breath; she then looked around and couldn't see any guards so crept out her hiding place. She tip toed around for a bit till she managed to find the cells.

"Laris!" Balin whispered.

"Hey it's Solaris!" Bofur said.

"Shush" she said putting her finger to her lips. She walked over to Thorin's cage and studied the lock.

"Do you have the keys?" he asked and she shook her head. "Do you know who does have the keys?" he asked.

"Nah ah" she said shaking her head and sighing. She straightened up and her back clicked and she winced.

"What happened after I left?" Thorin asked.

"Thranduil threw me against a wall" she said stretching and her back clicked again.

"Are you okay?" Thorin asked, his eyes wide.

"Remember how I said that if I broke anything I needed you to put it back in the right place?" she said and he nodded "Well my back is messed up"

Shouting then came from down the hall. "Laris, what are you going to do?" he asked.

"I have no idea" she said hoisting herself up onto the top of his cell. She waited there until two guards were directly below her.

"Where is the She-Elf?" one of the guards asked Thorin.

"Last time I saw her she was being interrogated by Thranduil" he said.  
>As he spoke Solaris dropped from the top of the cell and hit the two elves just on the right spot on the back of their heads to knock them out but not kill them.<p>

"I'm going for the key, it must be somewhere" she said.

"Laris" Thorin said grabbing her shoulder through the bars. "Be careful"

She looked at his blue eyes and nodded. She then turned and ran down the steps and stopped suddenly. Standing there was three guards and one of them had a large ring full of keys dangling from his belt. Solaris eyed the belt and smiled at them.

"Hey" she said.

"Make this easy" one of the guards said.

Solaris jumped up, grabbed a branch sticking out from the ceiling and swung over to the other side of them. As she did so one of them grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. She tumbled and then twisted and kicked the guard in the face. He fell back and Solaris stood to see two arrows pointing at her.

"Stop or we will fire!" the guard with the keys said.

Flickering her eyes down Solaris leapt to the platform below them and ran and hid.

* * *

><p>She spent ages hiding and just by chance the guard with the keys ran past and as he did she lurched for the keys and tumbled to a lower platform with him. She managed to twist so that she landed on her side but there was still a crack that came from her ribs. The guard on the other hand had landed on his back and what not moving.<p>

"Oh no" Solaris said crawling over to him. "Please don't be dead" she put her finger underneath his nose and felt air passing. She breathed a sigh of relieve and took the keys. She then ran as fast as she could and got to the cells.

"Your back" Thorin exclaimed.

She'd managed to come round full circle and his cell was the closest to her. "With gold" she said holding the keys up. She got to work on the lock but a green orb suddenly appeared and hit her in the back. She cried out and fell against the bars.

"Laris!" Thorin exclaimed.

She shook her head and went back to trying to open the door but her hands were shaking. Another orb hit her and she crumpled to the floor and dropped the keys over the edge of the platform.

"Valid attempt" Thranduil said appearing, he sent another orb and Solaris cried out and turned to face him. "You got further than I thought" Thranduil said walking forwards. Solaris raised her hand and summoned a purple orb but Thranduil had absorbed the power and hit her again before she'd had time to blink. Thorin reached through the bars and wrapped his arms around her chest.

"Stop" he said.

Thranduil smiled "What is this?" he asked walking forward. "It cannot be love?"

"Leave her alone!" Kili shouted from his cell.

"Leave her be, your quarrel is with me not her" Thorin said.

All the other dwarves were shouting and kicking at the cell doors making a right noise.

Thranduil smirked "My quarrel is with anyone who disobeys me" he said and reached forward and grabbed a handful of Solaris's hair. She cried out and her hands gripped around his to try and get him to release his grip. "Tell me Thorin Oakenshield, do you love this elf?" he asked. Thorin blinked wide eyed at Thranduil, then at Solaris and then back to Thranduil. "DO YOU LOVE HER!?" Thranduil yelled.

"YES, yes I love her!" Thorin exclaimed.

Everyone went silent and Thranduil chuckled darkly.

"Shame" he said studying her face with a smirk "To think that you were once intended for Legolas" not saying anymore he threw her from the platform and Solaris went tumbling down to the bottom of the tower.

Solaris's eyes darted open and she coughed. A metallic taste filled her mouth and she coughed, blood poured out the side of her mouth and she cried out. She could feel her body healing as she lay there but she was no where near ready when two guards came out the darkness and heaved her from the floor.

"Get off!" she cried but they started to drag her back up the stairs.

Every step was agony as they ascended the stairs. She was thrown into the nearest cell and that was with Fili. She let loose a small whimper as she hit the floor.

"Laris!" Fili exclaimed and dropped to her side. "What happened?"

Solaris didn't reply but choked out more blood onto the floor.

"Shush, it's alright" he said pulling her into his lap and sitting against the wall.

"Is she alright?" Thorin called from his cell.

"She's fine" Fili answered but he wasn't totally convinced. "Sleep Solaris and heal" he whispered.

He gently started to rock her backwards and forwards and after a few minutes her breath went heavy and her body relaxed. He gently hummed 'Misty Mountains' to her in the hope that she would not be plagued by bad dreams.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>

**How's about that then? This chapter was really fun to write and what about Thorin! Does he really love Laris or was he just saying that to stop Thranduil? Duh duh duh! And Fili at the end, I love Fili so much, he's so sweet and kind. Anyway I'll quit fan-girling and say farewell.**

**Love Mayday xxx**


	4. A Bombardment of Barrels

Solaris woke when she heard footsteps outside the cell door. Tauriel looked in and studied the pair. In her hands was a pail of water and some cloth.

"Why did you fight Thranduil?" she asked "He was your only way out of here" she opened the door quickly and placed the items inside the cell.

"He is going to keep me prisoner one way or another" Solaris whispered "And I would rather spend it here with my friends than out there faking my loyalty to him"

Tauriel watched her younger cousin carefully. "Why are you running with dwarves anyway?"

"That is but our own business" Solaris replied closing her eyes.

"I'm trying to help you Solaris" Tauriel said.

"I shall call when I need your help" Solaris said and Tauriel walked away.

"Who is that elf?" Fili asked.

"Her name is Tauriel and she is my cousin. Her family was killed and Thranduil took her in as his ward" Solaris said.

They watched as she walked over to Kili's cell and they started talking. After a minute Tauriel sat down on one of the steps. "She is kind" she assured Fili who was watching his brother closely. "She and I have just never seen eye to eye"

Fili used the cloth and water to wipe the blood away from Solaris's face. After a while Tauriel left and the company were left in silence.

* * *

><p>"I'll wager the sun is on the rise, must be nearly dawn" Bofur said.<p>

"We're never gonna reach the mountain are we?" Ori asked sadly.

"Not stuck in here your not" a little voice whispered and there was the gangle of keys.

"Bilbo!" Balin called.

"What?" Kili called from his cell.

"Solaris" Fili said shaking the elf's shoulder "Bilbo is here"

She smiled and got to her feet slowly; she was mostly healed and was just sore.

"Shush, there are guards nearby" Bilbo said letting Thorin out first.

He let them all out one by one and Kili rushed over to Solaris and Fili and pulled them into his arms.

"The three amigos reunited" he said. "Are you alright?" he asked pulling back and framing Solaris's face with his hands.

"Yes" she nodded.

"Shush" Bilbo said again "Down this way, follow me"

They crept down to the brewery where there were barrels of wine piled up high and two guards were asleep, snoring peacefully.

"This way" Bilbo beckoned them forwards. "Come on"

"I don't believe it we're in the cellars" Kili said.

"You were supposed to be leading us out. Not further in" Bofur said to Bilbo.

"I know what I'm doing this way" Bilbo said.

They went into the part of the cellars where the barrels were sent away for loading.

"Get into the barrels, quickly" Bilbo said.

"Have you lost your mind, they'll find us?" Dwalin said angrily.

"They won't I promise you" Bilbo said.

Solaris's eyes scanned the room, she believed she'd worked out what Bilbo was trying to do. "He's right" she said. "Hurry up all of you, get inside"

They all looked and mumbled to each other. "Thorin" Solaris said.

"Do as they say" he ordered.

Once the dwarves were all in a barrel each Solaris looked at Bilbo. "You must go" she said. "Thranduil is less likely to kill me as he is you"

"I'll take my chances" Bilbo said.

With a growl at his stubbornness Solaris climbed into the nearest barrel.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked.

"Hold your breath" Bilbo replied.

Bilbo then pushed a lever which tipped the floor and sent the barrels rolling. They all cried out as they plunged into an underground river.

"Where is Bilbo?" Balin asked.

There was then another splash and Bilbo appeared beside them.

"Well done Master Baggins" Thorin said.

"Come here" Solaris said pulling him into her barrel beside her.

* * *

><p>They travelled down the river and Thorin suddenly shouted "Hold on"<p>

Solaris gripped the barrel and Bilbo gripped onto her as they went over a waterfall and landed with a splash. A horn suddenly shouted.

"What was that?" Thorin asked.

"They're shutting the gate" Solaris said. "We have to move now!"

But it was too late as one of the guards pulled a lever and the gate shut on them.

"No!" Thorin yelled.

Solaris scanned for what to do when suddenly one of the guards took an arrow into the chest. An orc jumped out the tree line and grunted.

"Could this get any worse?" she growled.

Orcs came from every direction killing the guards and some jumped onto the dwarves in their barrels. They fought them off the best they could but Bilbo was the only one who had a blade.

"No Kili!" Fili suddenly shouted.

Solaris looked up and saw that the young dwarf had left his barrel and was going for the lever. They were now able to pick up some of the orcs blades and Dwalin threw one to Kili. Solaris watched the young dwarf as he made his way towards the lever when he suddenly stopped.

"Kili!" Fili shouted.

Solaris looked and saw that he's taken an arrow to the knee. Her eyes scanned the area and saw that it had come from the lead orc. She knew that it would not be an ordinary arrow.

"Not good" she said pulling herself from her barrel. As she was in one of the barrels underneath the bridge it took her a few seconds longer than it should of to scramble out. By the time she was free Legolas and Tauriel had shown up. As she made her way towards the dwarf arrows flew from Tauriel's bow, killing orcs that went near Kili.

"Lay still" Solaris said jumping to his side and looking at the arrow. She pushed his shoulder down but he kept sitting up to watch Tauriel.

"You can gaze upon her beauty some other time" Solaris said angrily. She stood and pulled the lever. She then picked Kili up and jumped into an empty barrel before it went under the gate. The end of the arrow snapped as she pulled him into the barrel.

"Is he alright?" Fili shouted.

"He is alive" Solaris replied.

* * *

><p>The Elves and the Orcs followed the company as they travelled down the rapids. Orcs flew at them and they were cut down and plunged into the water. At one point Legolas started using the dwarves as stepping blocks to get from one side of the river to the other.<p>

"Stay with me Kili" Solaris whispered to the dwarf.

They went over another waterfall and the Elves gave up the chase.

Gradually the trees got thicker on either side of the river and the water soothed down into a gentle flow.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asked.

"Not that I can see" Balin replied.

"I think we've outrun the orcs" Bofur said.

"Not for long, we've lost the current" Thorin replied.

Solaris saw a bank and started to paddle herself and Kili towards it. "Make for the shore" Thorin shouted to the others.

They all stumbled from their barrels one by one up onto the rocks. Kili was able to go a little way before he dropped to his knee.

Solaris walked over to him and pushed him to the floor. The head of the arrow was still in there so she ripped some of her jacket and shoved it into Kili's mouth.

"Wait" he mumbled and she pushed her fingers into the wound and pulled out the arrowhead. Kili growled at her and then pressed the piece of cloth to it.

"Its nothing, I'm fine" he told Bofur who had been watching.

"Kili's wounded" Fili said coming over "His leg needs binding"

"There's an orc pack on our tail, we keep moving" Thorin said.

"To where?" Balin asked.

"To the mountain, we're so close" Bilbo said.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain" Balin said. "We have no way to cross it"

"So then we go around"

"The orcs will run us down as sure as daylight. We've no weapons to defend ourselves" Dwalin said.

"Bind his leg quickly" Thorin said looking at Solaris and Fili "You have two minutes"

"Can't you try healing him?" Fili asked Solaris.

"No, I need her to be strong" Thorin snapped "The last thing we need is two weakened members"

Instead Solaris did her best to wrap some garb around it. "It needs proper cleaning besides Fili" she said "And for that I need time, which we do not have"

Then from behind them a figure with a bow and arrow appeared. Dwalin went to hit it with a log but an arrow split the log in his hands. Kili lifted a stone but that too was sent spinning by an arrow.

"Do that again and you're dead" the archer said.

"Please, we mean no harm" Solaris said raising her hands into the air.

"Excuse me but your from Lake-Town if I'm not mistaken" Balin said. "That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire by any chance"

* * *

><p>The dwarves followed the man, whose name was Bard, to his barge where there were all the barrels they'd come down the river in.<p>

"What makes you think I would help you" Bard asked.

"Those boots have seen better days, as has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?" Balin asked

"A boy and two girls" Bard answered.

"And your wife, I imagine she's a beauty"

"Aye, she was" Bard said with his back to them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Oh come on come on, enough of the niceties" Dwalin said.

"What's your hurry?" Bard asked looking at him.

"What's it to you?" Dwalin asked in return.

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands"

"We are simple merchants from the blue Mountains, journeying to see our kin in the iron hills" Balin said.

"And what about the elf, where does she fit into this picture?" Bard asked looking at Solaris.

"Aye, she is my ward" Balin said. "Found her when she was a wee babe"

Bard looked at Solaris suspiciously and then back at Balin.

"Simple merchants you say?" he said rolling another barrel onto the barge.

"We need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" Thorin said stepping forward.

"I know where these barrels came from" Bard said.

"What of it?" Thorin asked.

"I don't know what business you had with the elves but I don't think it ended well" he said. "Tell me Miss, did they kidnap you. You can be honest" he said looking at Solaris.

"No My Lord" she said "I choose to travel with them. I have no business with the Elves in these parts"

Bard nodded "No one enters lake town but by the leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil"

"Offer him more" Thorin whispered to Balin.

"I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen"

"Aye, but for that you would need a smuggler"

"For which we would pay, double" Balin said.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>

**I'm so proud of the title of this chapter. I'm normally rubbish at titles but this one just came to me and I thought it was rather good lol. So Bard's arrived, three cheers for the Bard man! He is awesome and Luke Evans is so lovely! And Kili, I need say no more.**

**Love Mayday xx**


	5. Lake-Town

Bard allowed them onto his barge and it wasn't long till nightfall came. The air was full of mist and it was cold.

"Watch out!" Bofur shouted and Bard steered the barge around a large rock.

"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin asked gruffly.

"I was born and bred on these waters Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here"

"Oh I've had enough of this lippy Lakeman" Dwalin said. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with it"

"His name is Bard" Bilbo said.

"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him" Dwalin said.

"We do not have to like him; we simply have to pay him. Come on now lads turn out your pockets" Balin said.

Solaris had been silent since they got onto the barge but now she stepped forward and placed a small handful of orange jewels onto the box where the coins were. She also placed a silver chain.

"My Lady, that is far too much!" Balin said.

"I think we'd better pay him all we have, don't you" she said.

They observed that her jacket now had threads and tiny holes where she had cut the jewels from it. She went back over to her quiet spot and sat down. One of the dwarves started to complain about something but soon stopped as the mountain became clear through the miss.

"The money, quick give it to me" Bard said jumping forward.

"We will pay you when we get our provisions but not before" Thorin said.

"If you value your freedom you'll do as I say" Bard said. "There are guards ahead"

Bard threw a long cloak at Solaris. "But this on and pull up the hood, you I can get away with in plain sight. The dwarves need to get into the barrels"

"Not again" Gloin said.

"Do it" Thorin said and they all disappeared one by one.

"Stay here" Bard told Solaris and he left the barge docked while he went and spoke to another man. She could hear the dwarves muttering and she kicked the closet barrel to her to get them to shut up. She watched as a large funnel was hovered over the barrels and tones of fish were poured into them. Jumping back onto the barge Bard smiled at Solaris. "Finally some piece" he said going to the steering. "Now, tell me how you came to be travelling with dwarves"

* * *

><p>Solaris told him as little as she could about what they were doing but she was truthful as to why she was with them and about how she was helping them on their quest.<p>

"I take it that the old dwarf is not your guardian?" he asked and Solaris shook her head.  
>"My Father is Lord Elrond of Rivendell" she said and he studied her.<p>

"But these dwarves mean much to you?"

"Yes they do" she nodded.

"That tall one certainly has feelings for you" he said and Solaris frowned at him. As far as she could remember Thorin had not so much as spoken to her since they'd been in Bard's company and she couldn't remember much when she'd been trying to break them out. She remembered being hit in the back by a spell and Thorin putting his arms through the bars to try and protect her but that was about it. "I can tell because of the way he looks at you" Bard continued "I used to look at my wife the same way"

Solaris didn't say anything but drew the cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"We are approaching the toll gate" Bard said "Stay quiet My Lady and I'll do the talking"

"Halt, goods inspection. Papers please!" a voice called out. "Oh its you Bard"

"Good morning Percy" Bard greeted.

"Anything to declare?"

"Nothing, but I am cold and tired and ready for home" Bard said jumping onto the dock and handing over a piece of paper.

"You and me both" the man said taking he paper into an office. "There we are, all in order"

"Not so fast" another man with dark hair said taking the paper. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm. Only, they're not empty are they Bard? If I recall correctly you're licensed as a bargeman. Not, a fisherman" he said picking up a fish.

"That's none of your business" Bard said.

"Wrong, it's the Master's business which makes it my business"

"Oh come on Alfrid, have a heart. People need to eat" Bard said.

"These fish are illegal. Empty the barrels over the side" Alfrid said.

"You heard him, into the canal"

Solaris stepped back as men came onto the barge. "Here Alfrid, he's got a stowaway" one of the men said looking at Solaris.

"Well well" Alfrid said jumping onto the barge and sauntering over to Solaris. "Who's this Bard?"

"An Elf I found on the boarders of Mirkwood, she was in need, so I helped her"

"In more ways than one I bet" Alfred said looking at Solaris with hungry eyes. "I will need to take her to search her" Alfrid said.

"You will not be taking her anywhere" Bard said stepping in-between the two. "I have already searched her and she carries nothing"

Alfrid studied his face. "She is under my protection" Bard said. "Folk in this town are struggling, times are hard, food is scarce" Bard said looking at the other men as they picked up a barrel between them.

"That's not my problem" Alfrid said.

"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake, when the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?"

"Stop" Alfrid said lifting his hand. "Ever the people's champion, eh bard? Protector of the common folk. You might have their favour now bargeman but it won't last. As for you" he said turning to Solaris "This isn't the last you've seen of me"

Solaris gave him a steely glare and didn't move till the gate was opened and the barge was moving again.

"That was a close one" she whispered to Bard "Thank you"

"I will not have him threatening young girls" Bards said "Even though you are probably older than me"

"That I am" she smiled.

"The Master has his eye on you, you'd do well to remember. We know where you live" Alfrid said to Bard as they floated past.

"It's a small town Alfrid, everyone knows where everyone lives"

* * *

><p>Once they were through the gate and in a quiet area of town Bard and Solaris tipped the barrels over.<p>

"Get your hands of me" Dwalin said as Bard was about to push his barrel over. He then walked over to the only man on the dock and paid him some sliver coins. "You didn't see them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing. Follow me" Bard said leading them along a walkway.

"How is your leg?" Solaris asked Kili.

"Its fine" he said but she could hear the pain in his voice.

"Da!" a young voice called and a boy who looked like a younger version of Bard came running forwards. "Our house is being watched"

Bard, the boy and Solaris made their way to the front of Bard's house. Bard whistled and threw something down to two men on the boat. "You can tell the Master I'm done for the day" he said closing the door.

"Da, where have you been?" a little girl said running over and wrapping her arms around Bard.

"Father, there you are. I was worried" an older girl said coming forward. He handed the girl a bag which she took from him.

"Bain, get them in" he told the boy who disappeared down some stairs. "Girls this is Solaris" Bard said. Solaris nodded to the two girls "Thank you for your hospitality" she said and the girls nodded slowly.

"Da, why are there Dwarves coming out of our toilet?" the oldest girl asked and Solaris bit her lip as the dwarves came one by one up the stairs soaking wet. "Have a nice wash" she asked Dwalin.

"Do not speak" he warned her.

"Sigrid, take Lady Solaris and find her some clothes. Bain, get something for the dwarves" Bard said.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>


	6. Safe and Sound

**I've chopped and changed a few bits since first posting this chapter. It was only to make the changes I made to the last chapter make sense. Enjoy :P x**

* * *

><p>Thorin was standing by the window and Solaris joined him. It seemed like a lifetime since she had been in his company.<p>

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I am worried about Kili, but I am fine" she said.

"How is his leg?" Thorin asked glancing over to his nephew.

"Worse than he lets on" Solaris replied. She looked out the window and Thorin took her hands.

"You must not try to use your powers to heal him, I need you to be strong and ready" he said and Solaris nodded, "Where did you go anyway, you went up into the trees in Mirkwood but didn't return with Bilbo?"

"I fell" she replied "And woke up in this room where there was loads of stairs. I could see you and the others but no matter what stairs I chose, up or down, I couldn't get to you" Thorin watched her closely. "Thranduil came to me and spoke in his patronising way and then there was this singing and I had to take a leap of faith" she said "I was really scared, not that I showed it off course"

Thorin smiled and put a hand to the side of her face. He studied her face and then pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you when Thranduil attacked you, I tried" "Don't apologize, I can't remember much anyway" Solaris said quietly.

"You can't?" Thorin asked pulling back and glancing out the window.

Solaris frowned as Thorin's eyes looked at something behind her.

"A Dwarvish Windlance" he whispered and she turned to look at a large crossbow on the top of one of the buildings.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" Bilbo said coming over.

"He has" Balin said. "The last time we saw such a weapon the city was on fire, it was the day the dragon came. The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher then the strongest armour. Only a black arrow fired from a Windlance could have pierced the dragon's hide. And few of those arrows were ever made. The store was running low when Girion made his last stand"

"Had the aim of men been true that day much would have been different" Thorin said.

"You speak as if you were there" Bard said.

"All dwarves know the tale" Thorin said.

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast" Bain, Bard's sin said.

"That's a fairy story lad, nothing more" Dwalin laughed.

"You took our money, where are the weapons?" Thorin asked.

"Wait here" Bard said.

"Tomorrow beings the last days of autumn" Thorin said.

"Durin's day falls the morn after next" Balin added. "We must reach the mountain before then"

"And if we do not?" Kili asked. "If we fail to find the door before that time?"

"Then this quest has been for nothing" Fili said.

Drawing everyone's attention Bard came back in and placed a bagful of weapons onto the table. The dwarves looked through them and dumped most of them back.

"What is this?" Thorin asked holding a stick with four prongs.

"Pike hook" Bard replied. "Made from an old harpoon"

"And this" Kili asked holding a hammer like object.

"A crow-bill we call it, fashioned from a smithy's hammer. Its heavy I grant but in defence of your life, these will serve you better than none"

"We paid you for weapons" Gloin said "Iron forged swords and axes!"

"It's a joke" Bofur said throwing something back onto the table.

"You won't find better outside the city armoury" Bard said "All iron-forged weapons are held there, under lock and key"

"Thorin why not take what's on offer and go?" Balin asked. "I've made do with less and so have you. I say we leave now"

"You're not going anywhere" Bard said.

"What did you say?" Dwalin asked.

"There are spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in this town. You must wait till nightfall" Bard said.

* * *

><p>Bard had gone out and almost immediately talk turned to leaving.<p>

"My Da said that you were not to leave" Bain said.

Thorin paid no heed to the boy and lead the party out. It was nightfall by now and they had come to a stop behind a boat.

"As soon as we have the weapons we make for the mountain" Thorin said.

They had made a dwarf staircase up to the top window of the armoury. "Go" Thorin said giving Solaris a light push. She ran forwards and jumped on their backs and into the window with ease. "Has she gone?" Bofur asked.

"I think so" Nori replied.

"Light as a feather" Bofur said shaking his head.

Once inside the armoury they picked out weapons. "You alright?" Thorin asked Kili.

"I'm fine, let's just get out of here"

Thorin looked at Solaris who gave him a look that said all that she wanted to say. He was not alright. Thorin watched as his nephew took some weapons and limped his way towards the stairs. There was suddenly a gasp of pain and the clattering of the weapons as they and Kili crashed down the stairs.

"Kili" they all shouted but Fili and Solaris were the first ones to his side.

"This is ridiculous, you are not fine" Solaris said angrily.

Then the sound of guards came in the distance. "Run!" Dori shouted from outside. But it was too late as they turned to blades at their throats.

* * *

><p>They were yet again being man-handled. They were led to a courtyard outside a large house. The doors to the large house were pulled open and a very tall man with a really bad comb over came out.<p>

"What is the meaning of this" he demanded.

"We caught them stealing weapons" one of the guards said.

"Ah, enemies of the state eh?"

"A desperate bunch of mercenaries if ever I saw one sire" the man who Solaris knew to be Alfrid. She tried to hide her face but it was too late as he recognised her.

"I know you" he said walking forwards. The Dwarves looked at Solaris and then at the man. "You came in with Bard; he's a part of this isn't he?" Alfrid said.

She kept her face turned away and Dwalin stepped forward "You do not know to whom you speak, this is no common criminal, this is Thorin, son of Thrain son of Thror"

Thorin stepped forward "We are the Dwarves of Erebor; we have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town in the great days of old, fleets of boats lay at harbour filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake this was the centre of all trade in the north. I would see those days return I would relight the great forges of the Dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor" cheering went up from all around them.

"Death!" a voice called. Bard came through the crowd. "That is what you would bring upon us. Dragon fire and ruin. If you waken that beast it will destroy us all"

"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this. If we succeed all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over"

"All of you listen to me!" Bard said turning to the crowd "You must listen, have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those that died in the firestorm? And for what purpose, the blind ambition of a Mountain King, so riven by greed he could not see beyond his own desire"

"Now, now, we must not any of us be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor who failed to kill the beast!" the Master shouted.

"Its true sire, we all know the story. Arrow after arrow he shot each one missing its mark" Alfrid said.

"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain" Bard said to Thorin.

"I have the only right" Thorin said, he turned back around "I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled, will you share in the great wealth of our people. What say you?"

"I say unto you welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"

The people of Lake Town cheered and jumped up and down.

* * *

><p>They were given chambers in the Master's home but none could sleep apart so they all went into one of the biggest rooms together and dragged mattresses and pillows in with them. The room was pitch black and the curtains were drawn and no moonlight shone in. Even though she could not see them Solaris could hear all of their breathing. She could hear Bomber's heavy snoring and even Fili's silent breathing. She also knew that some were not asleep. She knew that Thorin and Dwalin lay awake thinking about what was to come. Bilbo was also awake thinking about his hobbit hole in Bag-End. Kili was also awake under the windowsill. His leg was throbbing in pain and he had started to feel a fever taking him. Every time he moved his leg sent spasms of pain through his whole body. Solaris got up silently and kneeled down by his leg.<p>

"Me'a (light)" she whispered and blew into her hands. A tiny orb of light sparked and floated above Kili's leg. "Let me look" she whispered.

Kili watched her closely as she unwrapped the garb and pulled his trouser leg up. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at it. It was infected with something evil that had been on the arrowhead. She'd known it since she saw the orc fire the arrow but hadn't been able to get a good look till now.

"Its bad isn't it?" he whispered.

"It could be worse" Solaris said reaching for some clean garb that had been given to them to wash with in the morning.

"How?" Kili asked.

"You could be dead" she replied watching his eyes carefully and then wrapping his leg back up again. "You need to rest, you cannot come with us tomorrow" she said and Kili caught her wrist tightly.

"Do not tell me what I can or can't do" he hissed.

"I am not telling you, your leg is" she whispered harshly back. She sighed heavily and placed her hand over his leg.

"Fallan" she whispered and her hand shone purple.

"What are you doing?" Kili asked.

"I'm trying to heal you" she whispered.

"Laris you cannot" he said.

"Do not tell me what I can or can't do Master Dwarf" she said and he looked at her and then rested his head back.

"Fallan" she said more gruffly but the purple shone for a few seconds and then faded. Solaris gasped and rested her hands on her knees. "It's gone too deep" she said. "You need proper healing"

"But I'll be alright?" Kili asked.

"Off course" she said knowing that unless he made it to her Father or another elf that could heal better than she then he didn't stand a chance.

"Solaris" her name was whispered harshly in the darkness. "What did I tell you, go to sleep" Thorin said crossly.

"Kili can't sleep" she whispered harshly back.

"Then sing him a song" Thorin said.

Solaris looked back down at Kili and he had rested his head back against the wall.

"Let me" she said and shuffled behind him. He rested his head on her chest and sighed heavily.

_"__I remember tears streaming down your face  
>When I said, I'll never let you go<br>When all those shadows almost killed your light  
>I remember you said, don't leave me here alone<br>But all that's dead and gone has passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes  
>The sun is going down<br>You'll be alright  
>No one can hurt you now<br>Come morning light  
>You and I'll be safe and sound"<em>

His head a relaxed and turned sideways against her. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her lips to the top of his head. She knew he wasn't going to make it through this, not without healing.

_"__Don't you dare look out your window  
>Darling everything's on fire<br>The war outside our door keeps raging on  
>Hold on to this lullaby<br>Even when the music's gone, gone_

_Just close your eyes  
>The sun is going down<br>You'll be alright  
>No one can hurt you now<br>Come morning light  
>You and I'll be safe and sound"<em>

By now everyone's breathing had relaxed. Solaris sighed and rested her head back on the wall. She didn't sleep that night, her mind was to busy reeling with what she was going to do in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson. I also used the song Safe and Sound from the Hunger Games. I enjoyed this chapter, before I was a little unsure as to what I was going to do with Solaris and Kili but I think I've made my mind up. Hope you guys enjoy the following chapters.<strong>

**Love Mayday xx**


	7. Bonds that can't be Broken

The next morning the company were preparing to leave.

"You do know we're two short, where are Bofur and Solaris?" Bilbo asked.

"If Bofur's not here then we'll leave him behind but Solaris will be here" Thorin said.

Solaris had escaped from the crowds and was standing on the dock looking back in the direction they'd come from. She looked back over her shoulder and then forwards again. With a heavy sigh she pressed her lips together in an O shape and whistled. It was such a high pitched whistle that only she and the animals could hear it. A few seconds later a little bird flew into view and flitted down and landed on her finger. She whispered to it in Elvish and then lifted her hand into the air so that it could catch a breeze to fly away on.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked beside her. Bard came and stood by her side.

"I'm sending for help" she said.

"Help, help for what?"

"Kili, he needs proper healing. Healing that I cannot give him" she said.

Bard patted her shoulder. "I will look after him till your healer arrives"

"Thank you Bard, you have been a help" she said.

"I just wish you were not going into the mountain" he sighed.

"It's their home" she said "Everyone wants somewhere where they belong"

A horn then sounded. "I'd better go" Solaris said.

"Stay safe" he said and with a nod she left.

* * *

><p>Solaris got to the boat just as Thorin was denying Kili entry.<p>

"We must travel at speed. You will slow us down" she just caught Thorin saying.

"What are you talking about, I'm coming with you" Kili said.

"Not now" Thorin said.

"She put you up to this didn't she" Kili said crossly pointing at Solaris.

"She did not; everyone can see that you are not well"

"I'm going to be there when that door is opened. When we first look upon the halls of our Fathers Thorin" Kili insisted.

"Kili, stay here" Thorin said. "Rest. Join us when you are healed" he placed a hand on the back of his nephew's head.

"I'll stay with the lad, my duty lies with the wounded" Oin said.

"Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us, you cannot take that away from him" Fili said grabbing Thorin's arm.

"Fili" Kili said.

"I will carry him if I must"

"One day you will be king and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin" Thorin said.

Fili jumped from the boat and Thorin caught his arm "Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the company"

"I belong with my brother" Fili said pulling free and walking over to Kili.

Solaris watched them with a heavy heart. "Go and say goodbye" Thorin said "Make it quick"

With a nod Solaris walked over to the brothers and Kili held his hands out for Solaris to take.

"I am sorry for raising my voice at you" he said.

"Don't be sorry" she said shaking her head and pressing his hands to her lips. Fili pulled both of them into a hug. "We will be together again" he said. "I know it"

"Solaris" Thorin called.

She sighed and kissed both their foreheads. "You will heal" she whispered to Kili.

"Go and get our gold" he said pulling her head to his lips one last time.  
>"Solaris now!" Thorin said crossly.<p>

* * *

><p>The horns and the cheering had already given Solaris a headache and the boat had barely sailed. She watched as Kili and Fili grew smaller and smaller in the distance.<p>

"No" she whispered and stood but Thorin caught her arm.

"Your place is here" he said. He put his arms around her middle and she gripped onto them tightly. Her head hung forward and Thorin pulled her into his lap. She cried silently and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. He quietly began to hum 'Misty Mountains' to her. He knew she liked the song and that it had an affect on her. Back in Rivendell when she'd been asleep he had hummed it to her then and it seemed to help her sleep restfully. Gradually the longer he hummed the calmer Solaris became till she had her head rested against his chest and was watching the ripples of the water from the ores.

* * *

><p>Once they had reached the mountain there was a long walk on stony ground till they got to a ridge and Thorin ran ahead. The others followed and the sight was astonishing.<p>

"Oh my gosh" Solaris said breathlessly.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asked.

"It was once the city of Dale, but now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug" Balin said and Thorin turned away disheartened.

"We shall restore it to its former glory" Solaris said.

"The sun will soon reach midday" Thorin said "We must find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets, this way"

"Wait. Is this the overlook?" Bilbo asked.

"Gandalf said to meet him here and on no account were we to…"

"Do you see him?" Thorin asked. "We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We are on our own. Come!"

"Anything?" Thorin shouted to the others.

"Nothing" Dwalin replied.

"If the map is true, then the door lies directly above us" Thorin said holding the parchment out in front of him.

"Up here" Bilbo shouted.

They all looked up at a zigzag shaped staircase. "You have keen eyes Mater Baggins" Thorin smiled. He ran ahead and Solaris patted Bilbo's shoulder.

"Well done" she said.

Solaris and Thorin being the tallest in the company stood at the bottom of the stairs to give the others a boost up to the lowest stair.

"He will be alright" Solaris said as she watched Thorin's face "Kili, I know he will"

"We both know that the arrow was poisoned" Thorin said "Balin" he motioned for the oldest dwarf to jump up.

"You misunderstand" Solaris said "I sent a bird for help"

"Help from whom?" Thorin asked.

"An elf" she replied not looking at him.

"We shall discuss this later" he said cupping his hands. "Now jump up"

Once Solaris was up she turned around and gave Thorin her hand and pulled him up behind her.

* * *

><p>The climb was long and hard but as soon as they were at the top they had no further to go as the place where the door was was right in-front of them.<p>

"This must be it" Thorin said running over to the wall. "The hidden door. Let all those who doubted us, rue this day!" Thorin said holding the key up. The others all cheered and walked forward.

"Right then, we have a key. Which means that somewhere there is a key-hole" Dwalin said.

"The last light of Durin's day will shine upon the key hole" Thorin whispered.

Solaris sat back and let the dwarves search for the key hole. But concern started to grow as the sun started to set and no key-hole appeared.

"We're losing the light, come on" Thorin said.

"Be quiet, I can't hear when your thumping" Nori said as Dwalin started to kick at the stone.

"I can't find it. Its not here" Dwalin said.

"Break it down" Thorin yelled.

"Aye" Dwalin shouted.

"Come on!" Thorin shouted as they hit the door with their axes.

"Its no good, the door's sealed. Can't be opened by force" Balin said. "There's powerful magic on it"

They watched as the sun set and no key-hole appeared. "No" Thorin said looking at the map again. "The last light of Durin's day, will shine upon the key-hole" he said "That is what you're Father told us" Thorin said pointing at Solaris "Unless he lied"

"He did not lie Thorin" Solaris said rolling her eyes and resting her chin on her knuckles.

"Do not start an argument" Bilbo said stepping in-between the pair.

Thorin looked at Solaris and as she turned her head away he caught sight of the slightly raised scar on her cheek.

"What did we miss?" Thorin asked mellowing out.

The pain in his voice was heartbreaking but Solaris new he would flip at the slightest thing so she stayed quiet. "We've lost the light" Balin said. "There's nothing more we can do, we had but one chance. Come away lads, it's over"

"Wait a minute" Bilbo said "Where are they going? You can't give up now"

Solaris watched as Thorin let the key drop to the floor.

"There has to be something else" she said walking over to him.

"As Balin said, the light is gone" he said walking away and shoving the map at Bilbo's chest.

Bilbo and Solaris were left standing there alone. "I can't believe they've give up" she said. Solaris sat down and went through what her Father had said in her head. Bilbo did the same as he studied the wall.

'Stand by the gray stone, when the thrush knocks, the setting sun and the last light of Durin's day will shine upon the key hole'

Bilbo turned to look at Solaris who shook her head. She turned to look out over the mountain and the moon light shone into her eyes.

"Last light of Durin's day" she whispered. "Bilbo!"

"Moonlight, the last light" Bilbo exclaimed.

A small clicking noise started behind them and they turned to see a bird hitting what looked like a snail shell against the wall. Once the snail had cracked the bird chirped and flew away. The hobbit and the elf stood and watched as the light from the moon shone onto the stone wall and the small shape of a keyhole appeared.

"Oh my gosh, guys!" Solaris called and darted to the edge of the cliff. "Calling all Dwarves!" she shouted and they all looked up at her.

"Come back, it's the light of the moon, the last light of the moon of autumn!" Bilbo called. Solaris jumped back to the clearing and glanced around for the key.

"The key!" she exclaimed to Bilbo.

They both started to fumble around for the key in the dirt and grass. Solaris grumbled under her breath.

"Oh yeah, when there's food about their there, when there's ale about their first in line but when it comes to searching around in the dirt on all fours they suddenly disappear"

"Stop muttering to yourself and find the key" Bilbo said, he stumbled around and then they heard a chinking noise. They both watched as the key bounced towards the end of the cliff.

"No" Solaris exclaimed but a heavy leather boot stomped onto the thread the key was attached to. They looked up and saw Thorin and the rest of the dwarves.  
>"About time" Solaris grumbled and dusted herself down.<p>

They all watched as Thorin put the key in the hole and turned it slowly. There was a thunk and everyone held their breath as Thorin pushed the stone door open.

"Erebor" he whispered looking into the darkness.

"Thorin" Balin said. The emotion was too much for him and Thorin patted his shoulder. Solaris stood at the back of the group and listened to Thorin's whisperings.

"I know these walls" he said "I know these halls, this stone. You remember it Balin, chambers filled with golden light?"

"I remember" Balin said following Thorin inside. One by one the dwarves made their way into the mountain.

Solaris remained outside the mountain. She didn't like the closeness of the air within the stone walls. She sighed heavily and sat back down on a rock and rested her chin on her knuckles.

* * *

><p>After a while some of the dwarves came back out and settled down.<p>

"Where's Bilbo?" Solaris asked.

"He's gone to retrieve the Arkenstone" Balin said.

"And once he gets the stone for you?"

"Thorin will be king" Balin said sitting down.

"What's so special about this stone?" Solaris asked.

"It is the only stone of its kind, the holder of the stone becomes the king under the mountain. It sat encrusted in the throne of Thorin's father and his father before him"

Solaris still didn't understand why the stone held so much power. She looked back out over the dark landscape and thought of Kili and how she hoped that the healer had received her bird. She also though of how worried Fili must be, now that they'd found the door she just wanted to get back to Lake Town.

"May I speak with Solaris alone?"

Balin and Solaris turned to look behind them and saw Thorin standing there.

"Off course" Balin said and slowly got to his feet.

Thorin patted the elder dwarf's shoulder as he passed and then took his place next to the elf.

"I can see that you are worried" he said. "Will your healer have reached him by now?"

"I hope so" Solaris said.

"You feel a great deal for my nephews" Thorin said.

"I have never met anyone like them" Solaris said. She smiled as she thought back to the first night they'd spent in a cave together. She'd called Fili a hedgehog and he'd smiled at her with his gleaming blue eyes. She then thought back to when Kili had kissed her and when she'd objected he just hugged her the whole night. She sighed heavily and watched the clouds.

"Who is your healer?" Thorin asked.

"Tauriel" she replied.

"The She-Elf from Mirkwood?" Thorin asked, his voice a mixture of disbelieve and shock.

"Yes, Tauriel could offer Kili far better healing than I could ever have done. I am not strong enough and besides she has an added advantage"

"And what's that?"

Solaris looked at him and smiled softly "She loves him"

"She loves him?" Thorin was now very confused.

"Yes, I could tell from the first time they laid eyes on each other. When we were in the cells in Mirkwood she sat outside of Kili's cell for ages and they just spoke. Then when Kili was shot in the knee she was the one who killed the Orcs attacking him. Tauriel is a very accomplished healer if she gets to him in time then Kili shall live and love"

Thorin didn't say anything while he processed this information. "I thought that you loved Kili" he said quietly.

"I do, just not in the way he wanted me to. Tauriel on the other hand…"

"I'm not sure how I feel about that" Thorin said and Solaris turned to look at him.

"If I and Kili were in love how would you have felt about that Thorin?" she asked getting defensive.

"That is different, I know you whereas I don't know this Tauriel"

Solaris smiled and turned back to the moon. "She is the perfect match for your nephew" she said quietly.

They sat in silence for a bit before Thorin spoke again. "What about Fili, you are close to him as well"

"Thorin why are you interrogating me about whom I might be in love with?" she asked looking at him with tired eyes. "Since when was this quest about love?"

Her eyes studied his face and his hers. He gently brought his hand to her face and brushed the scar he'd given her. "Are you in love with anyone?" he asked and before she could reply the ground underneath them shook. Thorin dropped his hand and they stood.

"No" he said picking up his sword and running into the mountain.

"Thorin!" Solaris called. She picked up her weapon and ran after him.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Taureil belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>

**Again this was a really fun chapter to write, so Solaris and Thorin huh? :P Maybe or maybe not...**

**Love Mayday xx**


	8. A Chasing Game

Thorin ran around and corner and Solaris raced after him. She collided with his back as he came to stop on a ledge.

"Whoa" she whispered as she looked at the cascading piles gold coins. She stepped aside and watched Thorin's face as he took in all the gold.

"We need to find Bilbo" she said taking his arm in her hands but he refused to move. The sound of padding feet then came from behind them.

"Bilbo, you're alive!" Solaris exclaimed.

"Not for much longer" he said running over to them.

"Did you find the Arkenstone?" Thorin asked.

"The dragons coming" Bilbo panted.

"The Arkenstone" Thorin repeated. "Did you find it?"

They both stared at each other till Bilbo moved "Look, we have to get out" he said.

Bilbo made for the exit but Thorin raised his blade in-front of the hobbit.

"What are you doing?" Solaris said. He then moved so that Bilbo was at blade point and was backed into the cavern again. "Lower your blade now" Solaris hissed as she stepped in-front beside the hobbit. Thorin stared daggers into her and then something moved. They all turned and saw the great dragon loom into view. It stared at Thorin and then all the other dwarves ran in and the dragon roared and charged forward.

"You will burn!" Smaug roared.

"Run!" Thorin shouted and grabbed a hold of Solaris around the middle and jumped with her off the platform. Thorin, Solaris, Bilbo and the other dwarves skidded down a huge pile of coins and tumbled to the bottom.

"Let go of me!" Solaris said crossly to Thorin and pulled herself and Bilbo to their feet. They then ran through a small archway that took them to a room that had a table and benches in it. Behind them Thorin cried out came running into the room on fire. They helped him to strip his flaming cloak and then he stood.

"Come on" he said.

* * *

><p>As they ran from the room and down another corridor Solaris suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of relieve. Tears came to her eyes and she stopped running.<p>

"Why have you stopped, come on!" Dwalin said grabbing her arm roughly. She couldn't help smile as she ran. Tauriel had done it; she'd got to Kili in time and had healed him though he was still weak. Only the feeling of relieve wasn't from Kili but from Fili.

They came out of the lower corridors and climbed some stairs to a higher level. Thorin led them and shushed them every noun and again.

They came to a bridge that was unprotected from both sides and stopped so that Thorin could peer around the edges.

"We've given him the slip" Dori whispered.

"No, he's to cunning for that" Dwalin said.

"So where to now?" Bilbo asked.

"The Western Guardroom" Thorin replied. "There maybe a way out"

"It's too high, there's no chance that way" Balin said.

"It's our only chance" Thorin snapped. "We have to try"

Thorin went to move forward but Solaris grabbed his arm. "Let me go first to scout for the dragon" she said. "I am lighter footed"

Thorin's mind darted back to when they were caught in-between the stone battle and Solaris had wanted to scout ahead then.

"Alright" he nodded "Be careful"

Solaris walked passed all of them and started across the bridge. She got about halfway and beckoned the others to follow as there was no sign of the dragon. They followed as quietly as they could when a coin dropped onto the stone. The sound was as loud as thunder as it echoed of the walls. Everyone looked at Bilbo but Solaris was the only one to look up and see the belly of the great dragon passing overhead. She put her own hand over her mouth to keep from making a noise. Unaware that the dwarves, elf and hobbit were there the dragon carried on and Solaris waited for the others to catch up before she carried on leading the way.

* * *

><p>"I've heard tell of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was privilege to witness" Oin said to Fili. Fili was watching as Tauriel wrapped Kili's leg up after having healed it.<p>

"Lie still" she told the dwarf.

"You cannot be her" Kili whispered. "She is far away, she is far far away from me" his eyes were half closed as he looked toward the ceiling. "She walks in starlight in another world. It was just a dream"

His hand reached up and brushed her fingers. "Do you think she could have loved me?"  
>"Solaris will be back soon lad" Oin said wiping a damp cloth on Kili's forehead.<p>

"It is not Solaris he speaks of" Fili said watching Tauriel carefully. He came over and sat by Kili's head. "He does love Laris but not as he loves you"

"I…" Tauriel stammered. "It was Solaris who sent for me, she sent a bird asking me for help"

"She did?" Fili asked.

"Yes" Tauriel nodded. "We should dim the light so he can get some rest"

* * *

><p>Thorin was now leading as he knew the way through these tunnels better than anyone. They came around a corner and stopped as they came across cobweb covered bodies.<p>

"That's it then" Dwalin said "There's no way out"

They looked at the door which had been barricaded with rock.

"The last of out kin, they must have come here, hoping beyond hope"

They stood solemn for a minute as they watched the dead bodies of the dwarves.

"We could try to reach the mines" Balin suggested. "We might last a few days"

Solaris heard his whispered words and tried not to listen, there had to be a way. There was always a way. Thorin glanced over his shoulder at Solaris and then walked forward.

"No" he said "I will not die like this, cowering, clawing for breath. We make for the forges" he said turning.

"He'll see us, as sure as death" Dwalin said.

"Not if we split up" Thorin said.

"Thorin, we'll never make it" Balin said.

"Some of us might. Lead him to the forges, we kill the dragon, if this is to end in fire then we will all burn together" Thorin said.

"This way!" Thorin shouted leading the group from the Western Guardroom and back across the bridge. As they ran the sound of flapping wings sounded like a hurricane in the distance.

"Flee!" Smaug roared. "Flee, run for your lives!" he emerged out from behind a pillar. "There is nowhere to hide"

He skulked forwards towards Thorin, Bilbo and Balin. "Behind you worm!" Ori shouted as he ran forwards with Bombur and Dori. Smaug took the bait and followed them as they ran backwards and Thorin, Bilbo and Balin made the rest of the way off the bridge.

"Hey you!" Dwalin shouted.

"Here!" Nori called.

Solaris kept her mouth shut as she ran with the two dwarves out onto another bridge. As he came for them they ran and disappeared through another tunnel while Gloin and Bifur ran another way. They ran and momentarily lost sight of the others then they saw Thorin disappear downwards as he held onto a wire with a bucket attached.

"Thorin!" Dwalin and Solaris both shouted. She made to jump but he grabbed her arm. "No" Dwalin said "I promised him that I would make sure you lived"

"If he dies then what is the point of that promise" she said and pulled out his grasp.

"Be careful!" Dwalin shouted as Solaris launched herself from the platform they were on and grabbed a hold of one of the wires. She slid all the way down on the same wire as Thorin and there was a sudden jerk that made him loose his grip. Solaris grabbed onto one of his hands and clutched the wire in the other. She cried out as her arms went to full stretch, she could feel her tendons and ligaments at their limit.

"Hold on!" Dwalin shouted as he did something that counter weighted the wire they were on and pulled them back up.

"Don't let go" Solaris winced.

The whole time Smaug was surrounding them, suddenly the machine holding onto their wire snapped and Solaris and Thorin went tumbling till their feet landed on something sturdy. Thorin had his arms wrapped tightly around Solaris and she had hers around him.

"Do not open your eyes" he whispered.

Involuntarily doing the opposite she opened her eyes and looked down.

"Holy hell" Solaris screamed as she worked out that they were standing on Smaug's nose. He dragon opened his mouth and they felt the heat from his throat as the dragon got ready to spit fire at them.

"JUMP!" Thorin yelled and they leapt from the dragon's nose and grabbed onto another piece of mining equipment that was hanging down. Nori chopped another rope and the thing that Thorin and Solaris were holding onto started to move upwards. It was a flat piece of machinery that had an oval shaped bar that attached it to the wire. Thorin pulled himself up and grabbed Solaris's hands.

"Don't you let go" he said.

Underneath them Smaug opened his mouth.

"Whoa!" Solaris exclaimed as they jumped from the wire and Nori caught them, just in time to miss the fire.

"Go, go!" Thorin said pushing them away.

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkein and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>

**So folks, one more chapter till we are at an end, for now.**

**Love Mayday xx**


	9. The lives of Loved Ones

They all came together again next to the giant furnaces.

"The plans not gonna work, these furnaces are stone cold" Dwalin said.

"He's right, we've no fire hot enough to set them ablaze" Balin said and Solaris gave Thorin a look that told him a light bulb just went on in her head as the dragon roared in the distance.

"No" Thorin said but Solaris smiled at him.

"Take cover" she shouted and ran to where the dragon was looming. "Hey porky!" she called to the dragon. "You've got big haven't you, sitting on your ever so large pile of coins has done nothing for your figure, its no wonder your still able to move, slug!" she smirked at Smaug and he growled.

"Take cover!" Thorin yelled and they all pressed themselves to the wall.

Fire blazed past them and lit the furnace nearest them, they them came to life one by one.

"Bombur, get those bellows going. Go!" Thorin ordered.

The dwarves started to rush around pumping the bellows to get the fire hotter, Smaug was using his body to try and break through the iron gates that separated him from them.

"Bilbo!" Thorin called "Up there, pull that level on my mark" Thorin ordered.

"What shall I do?" Solaris asked.

"Nothing" Thorin said and she looked at him hurt. He ran over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You misunderstand" he said smiling the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his face. He turned to look at the fires that were now blazing. "You have done enough, just stay close to me"

He pulled her backwards with the other dwarves "Balin, can you still mix a flash flame?" Thorin asked.

"Aye, it'll only take a jiffy. Come on!"

"We don't have a jiffy" Dwalin said as Smaug pushed his way through the iron.

* * *

><p>"Where's the sulphur?" Balin shouted as the dwarves raided the shelves in the store room.<p>

"You sure you know what your doing?" Dori asked.

"Faster" Solaris said standing by the door and watching Smaug loom closer. "Faster Balin faster!"

"NOW!" Thorin yelled and Bilbo pulled the lever. Bilbo had to use all of his weight to get the lever down but once it was down water came flooding in. Smaug writhed and wriggled away and the sound of cogs turning started. The water was a counter weight that started everything in the mine moving, Bombur was still pulling up and down on a chain that fanned the fire. Balin's flash fire was now ready and they threw the pots at Smaug that exploded with a blue light when they hit him. But he still came at them when suddenly one of the ropes holding barrels full of golden coins was cut and then barrels landed on Smaug. He let out a roar and flailed about next to one of the furnaces.

"Laris, the chain!" Thorin yelled and Solaris pulled the chain closet to her. Molten gold was released from the large pot above the furnace.

"Lead him to the Gallery of the Kings!" Thorin yelled and ran away.

"Where are you going?" Solaris asked. He disappeared for a second and then reappeared with a wheelbarrow.

"What the?" Solaris asked herself puzzled.

"Come My Lady" Dwalin shouted.

* * *

><p>Solaris sped past the dwarves and made it to the Gallery of the Kings just as Bilbo was shouting "WAIT!"<p>

She skidded to a stop "Where are you going slug?" she called to Smaug.

"I thought it high time I paid Lake-Town a visit" he smirked.

"You can't this is nothing to do with them!" Bilbo shouted.

"There are innocent people, children!" Solaris pleaded.

Smaug laughed "You care about them, good" he said.

He moved right over to the elf and hobbit. Solaris put her hands on Bilbo's shoulders and pulled him close to her. "Then you can watch them die"

"No, stop!" Solaris yelled as the dragon turned tail.

"Here, you witless worm!" a deep voice called out.

They turned and saw Thorin standing up high holding onto a chain.

"You" Smaug rumbled.

"I am taking back what you stole" Thorin said.

"You will take nothing from me Dwarf" Smaug growled striding towards the dwarf. "I laid low your warriors of old. I instilled terror in the hearts of men"

Solaris and Bilbo ran closer to watch what was going to happen next.

"I am king under the mountain" Smaug said rearing up so he was face to face with Thorin.

"This is not your kingdom, these are dwarf lands, this is dwarf gold and we will have our revenge" he then yelled in Dwarfish and pulled on a chain. That was the signal for all the other dwarves to start pulling on their chains also. Solaris and Bilbo watched as the chains broke loose and revealed a large golden statue of a dwarf. Smaug stared mesmerised by the statue, so much so that he didn't move when parts of the statue started to bubble and rupture. He hissed in horror as the whole statue turned into a molten mess and knocked him backwards onto the floor and covering him with liquid gold in the process. The pool of gold was still for a second and then Smaug exploded from the pool and writhed forward.

"Revenge!" he shouted. "Revenge, I will show you revenge!"

As he groaned he ran towards the end of the hall and burst his way through the wall. "NOOO!" Solaris screamed as she watched the dragon leave the hall.

She raced after him and came to a stop on some of the smashed stone outside.

"I am fire" she heard the dragon growl "I am death"

"No, no, no" she said shaking her head as she watched Smaug fly towards Lake-Town.

"What have we done?" Bilbo asked next to her.

With tears in her eyes she turned to look at Thorin who'd made it outside.

"He's going to destroy Lake-Town" she cried. "He's going to kill Oin and Bofur" she said sniffing "He's going to kill Fili and Kili"

* * *

><p><strong>Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkein and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson.<strong>

**So, here we are. This is it. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies comes out this Friday and I'm seeing it next Tuesday. But even then I wont be able to update on this trilogy till BOFA comes out on DVD so I can watch it in more detail. In the meantime please feel free to have a look at my other stories, I have a wide range. Also the music I listened to which gave me inspiration for The Hobbit: Anywhere for you and Bonds that Can't be Broken were; Anywhere for You by John Martin, Always Gold by Radical Face, See What I've become and The Way by Zack Hemsey, Into the West by Peter Hollens and the new Cindarella movie scoure composed by Nick Murrey. One last thing there are so many behind the scenes videos oh youtube for Dean O'Gorman and Aiden Turner who play Fili and Kili, their so funny and I recommend you ckeck them out.**

**Keep an eye on this space as I will be concluding my version of events as soon as the last Hobbit film comes out on DVD.**

**Love as always Mayday xx**


	10. Author's Note

**Hey fellow hobbiters. I'm just letting you know that I am going to start uploading the next installment to my hobbit trilogy. I haven't yet got a fixed title but my version of BotFA will be called The Hobbit: Mercy of the Living for now so keep a look out for it. I am going to take down the last two chapters of Bonds that can't be Broken as technically they are the beginning of my next story . If you have any ideas as to a title for part three then please review or PM me as I'm really stuck for what to call it. :) Thank you so much for your support. **

**Love as always Mayday xx**


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